The Yankees jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning, including a 430-foot home run by... Brett Gardner? Gardy occasionally goes yardy, but rarely hits them that far. At any rate, it made things much easier for "starting pitcher" Chad Green, who pitched 2 scoreless innings. Nestor Cortes followed with 3 of his own. It was still 5-0 Yanks going to the bottom of the 6th, and things were looking good.
Now, a manager not under the thumb of Brian Cashman might have let Cortes pitch the 6th inning. After all, when you've got a 5-run lead, you can take chances. This would have been a good time to see if he could pitch a 4th inning.
Instead, Aaron Boone sent Tommy Kahnle in to pitch. For the most part, Kahnle has been good this season. Not yesterday, though: He allowed 4 runs, including 2 home runs, to make it 5-4. Boone sent Adam Ottavino in to pitch the 7th, and he allowed a game-tying home run to Jake Bauers. As they would say in English soccer, "Five-nil, and you fucked it up!"
Just when you might have begun thinking, "This is the Yankees' worst game of the season this far," they said, "Hold my beer... "
With 1 out in the top of the 9th, Luke Voit singled. Gary Sanchez doubled, but Voit, not exactly built to be among the swiftest of men, could only get to 3rd base. Gleyber Torres was walked to load the bases and set up a play at any base. It didn't work: Clint Frazier, who really could have used a confidence-booster, got one, a pitch he was able to drive far enough to center field to score Voit with a sacrifice fly.
So, send in the closer for the bottom of the 9th, right? Right: Aroldis Chapman. Unfortunately, once again, he made it interesting. Too interesting. He gave up a single to Jose Ramirez. He walked Roberto Perez. Tying and winning runs on base.
Bauers tried to bunt the runners over, but popped it up. DJ LeMahieu had been sent in to replace Voit at 1st base, for defensive purposes, and he caught it. Kevin Plawecki hit the ball a long way to left field, but Gardner caught it. It looked like the Yankees would get out of it.
The next batter was Francisco Lindor. He grounded to short. Didi Gregorius -- remember, it was only his 3rd game of the season after being out with injury -- mishandled it, and Ramirez scored the tying run. Chapman struck Oscar Mercado out, but the damage was done. Extra innings.
The Indians' manager, Terry Francona, our "old friend" from the Yankees-Red Sox battles of the 2000s, sent Oliver Perez out to pitch the top of the 10th. Yes, the same Oliver Perez who first thrilled Met fans, then drove them up the wall. Gio Urshela flew out to center. But Cameron Maybin hit a double. LeMahieu grounded to short, and it looked like the double would be wasted. But Aaron Hicks drove one to the wall in left center, and Maybin scored.
Chapman now stood to be the winning pitcher. Was that fair? Maybe not. But Boone brought Stephen Tarpley in to pitch, and he struck out the side.
Whew. A rollercoaster of a game ends Yankees 7, Indians 6. WP: Chapman (1-1). SV: Tarpley (1). LP: Perez (1-1).
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So here's how things stand, 10 weeks into the 26-week regular season: The Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are tied for 1st place in the American League Eastern Division, both at 40-24. The Boston Red Sox are 7 games behind, 8 in the loss column. The Toronto Blue Jays are 17 1/2 back, and the Baltimore Orioles are 20 1/2 back.
Domingo German has been placed on the injured list. But Masahiro Tanaka returns from paternity leave, after his wife had a baby. He will start the opener of a 2-game series at home to the Mets tonight, with Jason Vargas going for The Other Team. Tomorrow night, it will be James Paxton against Zack Wheeler.
I had thought this was going to be as in the last few years of Yanks-Mets action: 2 games in The Bronx, 2 games in Queens (not necessarily in that order). It's not: The Yanks' games at Citi Field won't come until July 2 and 3 -- after the trip to London to play the Red Sox. If the Yankees fall into a slump right before that, it's going to be a hell of a few days.
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